The Minnesota Vikings are in mourning after former safety Joey Browner died Saturday at the age of 65.
Browner spent nearly a decade in Minnesota before finishing his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a member of the team’s Ring of Honor and in 2010 was included in the list of 50 Greatest Vikings.
‘We’ve lost a great friend and one of the best Vikings teammates,’ former tight end Steve Jordan said of Browner.
‘God blessed Joey with phenomenal talent and a big heart to love people and be a beacon of positivity. Truly, he will be missed.’
Browner was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft and went on to earn six Pro Bowl selections. Remarkably, three of the safety’s brothers went on to play in the NFL, too.
His death was announced just a day after Minnesota lost another football great, Jeff Siemon.
The Vikings are in mourning after former safety Joey Browner died Saturday at the age of 65
Browner spent nearly a decade in Minnesota before ending his NFL career with the Buccaneers
His death was announced a day after it emerged Vikings legend Jeff Siemon had died
Siemon, a four-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker who spent over a decade in Minnesota, passed away Saturday. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
The former No 10 draft pick recorded the third most tackles in Vikings history (1,375) over the course of his 11 seasons with the team and started three Super Bowls.
He was first chosen to play in the Pro Bowl following the 1973 season, before earning three consecutive selections from 1975-77.
Long after his NFL career came to a close, Siemon was named one of the 50 Greatest Vikings as part of Minnesota’s 50 season celebration in 2010.
Tributes have poured in for the Minnesota icon, including from former teammate and fellow 50 Greatest Vikings member Ahmad Rashad, who hailed him as a ‘consummate professional and one of the best linebackers to ever play the game.’